Politkovskaya trial resumes earlier than announced

MOSCOW 
The trial of three men accused in the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya resumes Tuesday, a week earlier than had been announced.

Jurors had been called back early "to discuss a string of procedural issues," Moscow District Military Court spokesman Alexander Minchanovsky said Monday. He refused to elaborate.

Politkovskaya's reporting on human rights abuses in Chechnya embarrassed the Kremlin. She was slain in her Moscow apartment building in 2006, a killing that caused international outrage and renewed fears about the safety of journalists working in Russia.

The trial of those suspected of involvement in her murder has been chaotic.

Judge Yevgeny Zubov last week ruled it would be open to the public, only to reverse the decision a day later citing jurors' concerns about over-zealous media in the courtroom.

Lawyers for the defendants and for Politkovskaya's family have called for an open trial. Prosecutors requested it be held behind closed doors due to allegedly classified evidence.

Zubov subsequently adjourned the trial until Dec. 1, ostensibly because defense lawyer Murad Musayev had a schedule conflict, which Musayev himself denied in court. The discrepancy remains unexplained.

Hours after the adjournment, a man identified as a juror told a Moscow radio station that the jury had not expressed any media concerns, affirming fears that the court may not be acting independently.

The Supreme Court announced Monday it would investigate the claim that the jury did not oppose an open trial.

"An investigation is under way to check whether reports in the media about the decisions of the judge coincide with reality," said Pavel Odintsov, a court spokesman. "If there is a violation, there is an array of measures at our disposal.

The three men being tried on charges of conspiracy to murder are former Moscow police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov.

Authorities say the man accused of shooting Politkovskaya, Rustam Makhmudov, has fled the country. He is the brother of the two Makhmudovs on trial.

The case is being heard in a military court because a fourth defendant is a Federal Security Service officer. He is accused of criminal links to Khadzhikurbanov, but has not been charged in the killing.

Politkovskaya's family allege the investigation was sabotaged to allow the suspected triggerman and the unidentified mastermind to escape justice.

The country's top investigator, Alexander Bastrykhin, said Monday that the identity of the mastermind was still unclear.

"We have theories on this murder, but it would be premature to announce them," he said, according to the Interfax news agency.